Knit garment



Dec. 3l, H929. W CHRISTY KNIT CTARMENT Filed March 50. 1.928

INVENToR Wiliam/16h ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 31, 1929 KNIT GARMENT y This ginventionrelates to knit garments,

and more particularly to therapeutic gar- --ments such as stockings, anklets or similar method, and in coverings for protection of all or portions of the leg'and foot.

Garments of this specific kind were heretof re generally constructed from a single piece of straight knit elastic tubing with a heel opening formed by a transverse out into the side ofthe tube. As a consequence of the limited amount of fashioning possible in the region of the ankle under the described view of the fact that the porv-A tions intended toengage the leg and `foot lay in a direct line, the wearing of such garments was attended by considerable discomfiture by reason of misiit, greater tightness across the ankle region than in other parts, and

\ tendency of the upper edges of the heel openings to curl above the shoe tops with causation of excessive Wear on outer stockings.

The object of my invention is to overcome the various drawbacks pointed out. One way in which' this desidera-tum can be readily attained in practice is manifested by the detailed description which follows when taken in connection with the drawings, whereof Fig. I is an illustration showing my improved garment.

0 Figs. II, III and IV, show successive steps indicated at 1n the preparation yof one of the parts of the' garment; and, p

ig. V is a view of a companion part.

In carrying out my invention I begin with two suitable lengths or pieces of tubular knit fabric-dor therapeutic garments fabric with incorporated elastic inlay yarn-such as conventionally depicted at 10, 11 in Figs. II, and V of the drawings. Incidental to knitting of the piece 10, which is to serve as the leg-engaging portion of the garment, I ilare one end of it as shown at 12 by graduating the size of the fabric loops. For the purpose of ornamentation and to increase its elasticity about the top, the piece 10 maybe formed Awith a band of tuck stitches, such as diagrammatically 13. This last step may also be readily e'ected during production of the piece on the knitting machine, as well understood by those skilled in the art. In proceedcut is next made into the ing further, a longitudinal cut is made into one side of the piece 10 upward from its flared end 12, to the extent l1ne15 in Fig. II, and thereupon the severed ends of the elastic inlay yarn are drawn'out and tied together, as respectively shown at 16 and 17 in Fig. III. A similar longitudinal opposite side of the piece 10, with repetition of the process, as regards tying together of the elastic inlay yarn severed as a consequence. The next step consists in making a cross cut at right angles between the tops of the longitudinal cuts 15 previously made, 1. e. along a connecting line 18 indicatedV at Fig. II, and discarding the intervening portion l0El of the fabric thereby severed` from the piece 10. After the nal cut along the line 18 is made the piece 10 appears as shown in Flg. IV, except for linishing of the upper edge 19, the lower edge 20 and the edge 18. To avoid bulkiness and at the same time to insure the edges 18, 20 against ravelling, the free loops are 'preferably gathered in after the manner described in U. S. Letters Patent N o. 1,659,934 granted to James D. VVillmott under date of February 21, 1928. The upper edge 19 may be either finished in by over-edge stitching upon a sewing machine of the Merrow type.

The companion piece 11 which is to form the foot portion of the garment is made from material similar to that used for the piece 10, and may be somewhat shorter than the latter. As shown, the piece 11 is tapered slightly throughout its length and devoid of the tucked band characteristic of its 'fellow 10. Here again I may resort to the method of the patent, supra, in finishing the upper and lower edges 21, 22, respectively, against; ravelling.

With the pieces 10, 11 prepared as described, I next unite them, proceeding first to continuously align the ed es 15 and 18 of the piece 10, then placing t em adjacent the upper edge 21 of the companion iece 11, and finally sew the juxtapositioned e ges together gy mier-edge stitching, as indicated at 23 in indicated by the dotted the ends 16', 17. ofv

the same way or 1 ow, it will be particularly noted, from the illustration just referred to, that by virtue of the novel shaping of the piece 10 and the manner of attaching it to the companion piece 11, the proper angular relation of the two is predetermined in the finished garment; and, moreover, that by definitely proportioning the cutting, a lateral opening is provided at the region of the juncture, which, when the garment is worn, permits exposure of the base or bottom portion ofthe heel only, thereby leaving the back of the heel entirely protected. My method furthermore results in a garment which has a properly shaped ankle zone, that is to say, a fullness simulative of the human foot at the designated region characterized by substantially the same degree of elasticity as possessed by other portions of the garment. The wearer is therefore not only afforded the utmost comfort from the standpoint of accurate conformation of the garment to the limb, but spared the annoyance ordinarily caused by .curl1ng of the upper edge of the heel opening, which contingency cannot possibly occur since that portion, in the present instance, will lie well below the shoe top. If desired or required, it is to be understood that the size of the opening may be varied to expose more, or even less of the heel than instanced in the garment shown, for the purposes of illustration herein. It is furthermore to be understood that my invention is not necessarily limited to the use alone of material with incorporated elastic inla yarn in producing garments having the various characteristics described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A garment of the character described constructed from tubular lengths of material united in angular relation to provide a lateral opening in its side permitting exposure of the bottom of the heel only.

2. A garment of the character described constructed from two lengths of tubular material with a circumferential portion of the one length angularly united to the other, and

having a lateral opening in the region ofv mergence for the heel.

3. An anklet of the character described constructed from two-lengths of tubular material one of which has a flaring end, said portions being in part mergingly united at an angle to each other and having, at the lrlegon of mergence, a lateral opening for the 4. A garment of the character described constructed from two pieces of tubular knit material, one of the piepes having a flaring end, said pieces being for their major extent circumferentially united end to end in angular relation, and the disconnected portions,

at the region of the juncture, providing a lateral opening for the heel.

5. A garment of the character described constructed from tubular material with counter-flared leg and foot portions, said counterflared portions being in part united at an angle to form a fashioned ankle zone, and

the disjoined portions at the region of merlglence, providing 'a lateral opening for the eel.

6. The method of producing garments of the character described beginning with two lengths of flared tubular knit fabric, shaping the end of the one length by angular severance and uniting thereto the flared end of the other length to predetermine an angular relation between them in the finished garment with incidental provision of a lateral opening at the region of juncture.

7. The method of producing garments of the character described beginning with two lengths of tubular fabric, severing out a right angled portion in one of the lengths at one end, continuously aligning the edges of the angular severed portion with one of the edges of the companion piece and uniting the juxtaposed edges with disposal of said two pieces in angular relation in the finished garment and with provision at the same time of a lateral opening at the region of such juncture.

8. The method of producing garments of the character described with end portions occupying an angle to one another, beginning with two lengths or pieces of tubular knit fabric having incorporated elastic inlay yarn, preparing one of the fabric a longitudinal cut to a de nite distance at one side, tying together the ends of the inlay yarn severed as a consequence, making a corresponding lon 'tudinal cut at the other side of the iece an similarly tying to ether the severe ends of the inlay yarn a ong that cut, removing the ortion of the fabric lying between the cuts a oresaid by crosswise severance, continuously aligning the edges of the angular cut in said piece with one edge of the companion piece, and uniting the juxtaposed edges with incidental provision of a lateral opening at the region of the juncure.

9. The method of producing fashioned garments of the character described with end portions occupying an angle to one another, beginning with two lengths or pieces of flared tubular knit fabric having incorporated elastic inlay yarn, preparing one of the pieces by making a longitudinal out into the flared end to a definite distance at one side, tying together the ends of the inlay yarn severed as a consequence, making a corresponding longitudinal cut at the other side of the piece and similarly tying together the severed ends of the inlay yarn along that cut, removing the portion of the fabric between the cuts previously made by crosswise severance, continuously aligning theedges of the angular cut piece with the ilare edge of the companion ieces by maklng signed my name atPhiladelphia,

ieee, and uniting the juxtaposed edges with lncidental provislon o f a lateral opening at the region of the juncture.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto Pennsylvania, this 27th day of March, 1928.

WILLIAM B. CHRISTY. 

